Broome Campervan & Motorhome Hire

Day 1: Collect your van in town, a short taxi ride from Broome Airport, allowing at least an hour before the depot's 3:30pm close for the handover. Stock up at one of Broome's shopping centres, then check in for two nights at a caravan park near Cable Beach. Walk down to the sand for sunset, when camel trains cross the beach and the Indian Ocean glows orange.

Day 2: Check the tide times, then drive to Gantheaume Point, where red pindan cliffs meet turquoise water and dinosaur footprints show in the reef on the lowest tides. Spend the afternoon in Chinatown among the pearl showrooms and cafes. If your dates line up between March and October, join the crowds at Town Beach for the Staircase to the Moon.

Day 3: Head east on the Broome Highway, refuelling at Roebuck Roadhouse, then turn north onto the Derby Highway near Willare, about 220 km in all. Stop at the hollow Boab Prison Tree just south of Derby, then walk out on the town jetty at sunset to watch King Sound's huge tides. Stay two nights at a caravan park in town.

Day 4: Visit the Mowanjum Art Centre, just outside town, to see work by Worrorra, Ngarinyin and Wunambal artists, or book a scenic flight over the Horizontal Falls. Derby is also the western end of the Gibb River Road, which is mostly unsealed and off limits to 2WD hire vans, so this trip heads back to the sealed Great Northern Highway.

Day 5: Drive about 260 km to Fitzroy Crossing, rejoining the Great Northern Highway through flat cattle country dotted with boab trees. Check in for two nights at a caravan park in town and top up your fuel, water and groceries. Spend a quiet evening near the Fitzroy River, keeping well back from the banks, as crocodiles live in the river.

Day 6: Drive 20 km on a sealed road to Danggu Geikie Gorge National Park and take the boat tour, which runs from May to October, beneath limestone walls banded by floodwaters. The park is day use only, so return to Fitzroy Crossing for the night. Fill up before bed, as the next fuel is at Halls Creek, nearly 300 km away.

Day 7: Leave early for the long run to Halls Creek, about 290 km with no fuel on the way, so carry extra water and rest in the heat of the day. Pull well over for oncoming road trains, which can stretch past 50 m. Settle into a caravan park in Halls Creek, restock at the supermarket and stretch your legs around town.

Day 8: Continue about 160 km north to Warmun, passing the turn-off to Purnululu National Park. The Spring Creek Track into the park is about 53 km of rough, high-clearance 4WD track, so it is off limits in a 2WD hire van. Stay at the Warmun Roadhouse and book tomorrow's Bungle Bungle scenic flight.

Day 9: Take a helicopter flight over the striped beehive domes of the Bungle Bungle Range in World Heritage-listed Purnululu, with flights from Warmun in the dry season. Longer packages can include landings and guided walks, so compare options when you book. Spend the afternoon at the Warmun Art Centre, which shows work by Gija artists.

Day 10: Drive about 195 km to Kununurra, turning onto the Victoria Highway for the last 43 km into town, the hub of the Ord River irrigation area. Set up for three nights at a caravan park near Lily Creek Lagoon, restock and do the laundry. Walk the short trails in Mirima National Park at sunset, when the sandstone glows red.

Day 11: Join a cruise on the Ord River between the Lake Argyle dam and Kununurra for gorge scenery, birdlife and freshwater crocodiles sunning on the banks. In the afternoon, visit the farm gates and markets for local mangoes, melons and sandalwood products. Restock with fuel and groceries, as Kununurra is the last big town before Katherine.

Day 12: Drive about 100 km to Wyndham to see the Big Croc and the Five Rivers Lookout on the Bastion, where five rivers meet in the Cambridge Gulf. The lookout road is sealed but steep and winding, and not suited to caravans, so larger motorhomes may prefer to skip the climb. Return to Kununurra for the night.

Day 13: Drive about 70 km to Lake Argyle, the vast reservoir formed by the Ord River Dam, and stay two nights at the resort's caravan park. Swim in its infinity pool overlooking the ranges, then take a sunset cruise on the lake to look for freshwater crocodiles, rock wallabies and waterbirds.

Day 14: Take a slow morning by the pool, or book a scenic flight over the lake and its islands. Walk out to the dam wall lookouts and visit the Durack Homestead Museum, rebuilt here before the valley flooded. Pack up early tonight, as tomorrow you rejoin the Victoria Highway and cross into the Northern Territory.

Day 15: Head east on the Victoria Highway past the Quarantine WA checkpoint at the border, where vehicles entering WA are inspected, and set your clocks forward 90 minutes. Keep River National Park sits just inside the NT, but its roads are unsealed, so check your hire terms. Drive on to Timber Creek, about 225 km from Kununurra, and stay near the Victoria River.

Day 16: Stop at the Victoria River Roadhouse, about 90 km east, for the short Escarpment Walk in Judbarra/Gregory National Park, with wide views over the river valley. Continue about 195 km to Katherine on the sealed highway, watching for cattle and road trains. Stay three nights at a caravan park near the hot springs or out at Nitmiluk.

Day 17: Drive about 30 km to Nitmiluk National Park and cruise the Katherine River gorges, or hire a canoe and paddle between the sandstone walls. Walk to the Baruwei Lookout in the cool of the morning, carrying plenty of water. Swim only where rangers have opened areas after crocodile surveys, and follow the signs.

Day 18: Head about 60 km north to Leliyn (Edith Falls) for a swim in the plunge pool, if it is open after the wet, and a walk to the upper pools. Back in Katherine, soak in the Katherine Hot Springs, then restock with fuel, water and groceries for Litchfield, as shops thin out north of town.

Day 19: Follow the Stuart Highway north through Pine Creek and Adelaide River, then turn off at Batchelor for Litchfield National Park, about 300 km from Katherine. Set up at a campground in the park or a caravan park in Batchelor. Stop at the magnetic termite mounds in the late afternoon, when the light is softer.

Day 20: Spend the day between Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole and Wangi Falls on the sealed main park road. Swim only where signs say it is open, as Wangi can stay closed into the dry season while rangers check for crocodiles. Skip the 4WD tracks, such as the road to the Lost City, which 2WD hire terms ban.

Day 21: Drive about 120 km to Darwin, then refuel, empty the waste tanks and tidy the van before your drop-off, allowing time before the depot closes. Not every brand offers a Broome to Darwin one-way hire, and fees can be high, so check one-way availability and the fees in your quote before you book.

Day 1: Collect your van, stock up in Broome and refuel at Roebuck Roadhouse, then head south on the Great Northern Highway, about 375 km in all. Turn off for Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park, where the last 10 km or so is gravel, so check your hire terms allow it. Walk over the dunes for sunset on a beach that seems to go on forever.

Day 2: Take a morning beach walk, then drive about 240 km to Port Hedland, refuelling at Pardoo Roadhouse on the way. Watch giant iron ore ships move through the harbour and see the white salt stockpiles on the edge of town. Stay at a caravan park and stock up on fuel, water and groceries for the national park.

Day 3: Head south about 260 km to Auski Roadhouse at Munjina, then into Karijini National Park on sealed roads to the visitor centre and Dales Gorge. Buy a park pass, book your site at Dales campground ahead, and carry plenty of water, as Karijini is remote and hot by day.

Day 4: Walk down to Fortescue Falls and on to Fern Pool for a swim, then follow the gorge floor to Circular Pool, finishing on the rim trail for views over the red walls. Start early to beat the heat, wear sturdy shoes and check park alerts first. Some gorge roads further west are unsealed, which 2WD hire terms may not allow.

Day 5: Drive west on Karijini Drive to Tom Price and restock, then continue through Paraburdoo and west on the sealed Nanutarra-Munjina Road to Nanutarra Roadhouse, a long day of roughly 480 km. Avoid the unsealed shortcuts and the Rio Tinto rail access road. Stay at the roadhouse beside the Ashburton River.

Day 6: Continue south, then turn onto Burkett Road towards the North West Cape, roughly 300 km to Exmouth. Watch for emus, kangaroos and wandering cattle, and avoid driving at dawn or dusk. Check in for three nights at a caravan park in Exmouth, then catch the sunset from the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse.

Day 7: Drive into Cape Range National Park with a park pass and snorkel the drift at Turquoise Bay, where coral starts just off the sand. Check the current and stay inside the marked area. Continue to the end of the sealed road at Yardie Creek for a gorge walk, stopping at the Milyering Discovery Centre on the way back.

Day 8: Book a reef tour from Exmouth: whale shark swims run roughly from March to July, and humpback whales pass from about June to November. Or spend a slower day at the marina and town beaches. Restock at the supermarket and empty the waste tanks before heading south tomorrow.

Day 9: Drive about 150 km south to Coral Bay, a tiny settlement where Ningaloo Reef starts a few steps from the beach at Bills Bay. Snorkel the sheltered lagoon, keeping to the rules of the sanctuary zones, and book your caravan park site well ahead, as Coral Bay's parks fill quickly in the dry season.

Day 10: Drive about 230 km south to Carnarvon, joining the North West Coastal Highway at Minilya Roadhouse. Visit the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum, then buy bananas, mangoes and other fresh produce from the plantation stalls along the Gascoyne River. Stay at a caravan park in town and refuel for tomorrow.

Day 11: Head south about 200 km to the Overlander Roadhouse, then west into the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. Stop at Hamelin Pool to see the stromatolites, then at Shell Beach, made of countless tiny cockle shells. Continue to Monkey Mia and stay at the resort's caravan sites, close to the morning dolphin visits.

Day 12: Watch the dolphins swim into the shallows at Monkey Mia in the morning, when rangers run the feeding sessions. Then drive back to the highway and south to Kalbarri, about 400 km, crossing the Murchison River on the way. Check in at a caravan park near the river mouth.

Day 13: Visit Kalbarri National Park early for Nature's Window and the Kalbarri Skywalk, which juts out over the Murchison River gorge. Then follow the coast south past the pink Hutt Lagoon at Port Gregory and through Geraldton to Dongara, about 230 km. Stay at a beachside caravan park in Dongara or Port Denison.

Day 14: Take Indian Ocean Drive south to Cervantes and walk among the limestone spires of the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park. Continue to Perth, about 360 km in all, then refuel and empty the tanks before your drop-off. Check one-way availability from Broome to Perth and the fees in your quote before you book.

Day 1: Pick up your van in town, a short taxi ride from Broome Airport, and stock up at one of the shopping centres before checking in at a caravan park near Cable Beach. Spend the late afternoon on the sand as the camel trains head out at sunset, and swim between the flags if lifeguards are on patrol.

Day 2: Visit Gantheaume Point at low tide for the red cliffs and, on the lowest tides, dinosaur footprints in the reef. Wander Chinatown's pearl showrooms and catch a film at Sun Pictures, an open-air cinema that dates from 1916. Then buy fuel, water and groceries for the Dampier Peninsula, where shops are few.

Day 3: Drive north on the Cape Leveque Road, sealed since 2020, about 200 km and two hours to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. Book a 2WD-accessible site, as some of the farm's camp areas need a 4WD, and join a pearl farm tour. Camp well back from the water's edge, as crocodiles can turn up anywhere along this coast.

Day 4: Visit the trochus hatchery at Ardyaloon (One Arm Point), reached on a sealed road, and look out over the islands and racing tides of King Sound. This is Bardi Jawi country, so follow community rules, as some areas need permission to enter. Return to Cygnet Bay for a swim in the pool or a sunset tour on the water.

Day 5: Head back south, stopping at Beagle Bay to see the Sacred Heart Church and its mother-of-pearl altar, where an entry fee may apply. Continue to Broome, about 200 km from Cygnet Bay, and refuel on the way in. Spend the night at a caravan park in town, close to Town Beach for the Staircase to the Moon if the dates line up.

Day 6: Drive about 220 km to Derby on sealed highways, stopping at the hollow Boab Prison Tree just south of town. Walk the jetty at sunset, when King Sound's tides are among the biggest in Australia, and visit the Mowanjum Art Centre if you arrive during opening hours. Stay at a caravan park in Derby.

Day 7: Drive back to Broome in the morning, about 2.5 hours, so you can return the van at least an hour before the depot's 3:30pm close. Refuel, empty the waste tanks and tidy up first. With time before your flight, Chinatown and Town Beach are a short taxi ride from Broome Airport.